Present methods of identification restrict entry by securing areas from access except by personnel with proper identification or who know certain procedures by which access is gained. These systems include locked doors opened by entering a predetermined code through a keyboard or inserting a magnetic card into a card reader. The difficulty with those systems is that once access is gained through knowledge of code or a false ID card there is no reliable way to determine the presence of unauthorized personnel (i.e. once the entry security is breached the unauthorized entry is difficult to detect.)
Identification badges worn by all personnel having access to a secured area help but are too slow and unreliable for the demanding needs of securing highly sensitive and restricted areas deep inside a base from unauthorized entry. Identification badges are effective for only a small number of people who repeatedly pass a security guard who can be trusted to confirm personal identification. This may not protect against the use of forged ID badges unless the guard knows each entrant personally.
More sophisticated methods such as "magnetic strips" or "optically coded" ID cards are considerably faster and more reliable. They provide a high degree of automation and confidence in card reading and detection but also provide little confidence in identification of the card holder. Such cards are not only susceptible to counterfeiting but are particularly vulnerable to theft. In addition, the card access systems are not specifically suited to the identification of large numbers of people flowing through a single point of entry.
Unauthorized access deep within a base presents a severe problem much broader in scope than just the problem of breaks in security. In these times when acts of sabotage, espionage or terrorism can result in destruction of billions of dollars worth of equipment, kill large numbers of a concentration of troops or seriously threaten national security, extraordinary solutions to security problems are needed.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a remote access personnel identification system for prevention against unauthorized access inside secured areas.
Another object of the present invention is to provide personnel identification modules carried by personnel prior to as well as after. access to a secured area which can be interrogated remotely.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a security system which has personnel identification modules which store unique personal information for verifying true identity at anytime within a secured area.
Still another object is to provide a security system having a control processing system for programming personnel modules and processing entry and departure data from all personnel.
Another object of the security system is to reliably identify large numbers of personnel flowing to and from areas deep inside a secured area.